This past weekend, Denver police began investigating the death of a woman on South Bryant Street as a homicide. Since then, the DPD has launched a manhunt for Pedro Rios Lopez, who's accused of murdering his estranged wife, Berta Rios Lopez, and leaving her body to be found by her two pre-teen daughters.

This week, the Denver coroner's office formally identified the victim as Berta Lopez, age 43. The cause of death: multiple stab wounds.

How did the slaying happen? Sources quoted by Fox31 believe Pedro waited outside Berta's home until she returned, then took her life and placed her body in the home's bathtub.

Berta's daughters, ages twelve and ten, weren't home at the time. Instead, they were staying with a babysitter. But when they returned the next morning, they made a horrific discovery.

According to the DPD, Pedro has family members in the Denver area as well as in Texas. He was last seen driving a maroon 2003 Kia Spectra like this one:

Look below to see a larger version of the suspect's photo and a Fox31 report, followed by our previous coverage.

Pedro Rios Lopez.

Graphic below.

Original item, 6:40 a.m. April 30: This weekend, officers with the Denver Police Department were summoned to a residence on South Bryant Street that contained a gruesome secret.

A woman at a home there was dead. And the cause appears to have been wholly unnatural.

At this writing, the DPD isn't being profligate with information. According to the department, a call came in at 7:36 a.m., and when police arrived at the 300 block of South Bryant, they found an unresponsive woman with wounds to her body. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and homicide detectives soon got to work.

Thus far, neither the woman nor any potential suspects have been named. However, KWGN quotes neighbors as saying the victim worked at a hospital and was the mother of two daughters, ages ten and twelve.

Look below to see an interactive graphic of the area near the scene. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."